The bloody crucible of courage : fighting methods and combat experience of the Civil War

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Title:

The bloody crucible of courage : fighting methods and combat experience of the Civil War

Author:

Nosworthy, Brent.

ISBN:

9780786711475

Edition:

1st Carroll & Graf ed.

Publication Information:

New York : Carroll & Graf ; [Berkeley, Calif.] : Distributed by Publishers Group West, 2003.

Physical Description:

xiv, 752 p. : ill., maps ; 25 cm.

Contents:

Is the study of fighting methods meaningful? -- Advances in small arms, 1830-59 -- Developments in tactical doctrine, 1843-59 -- Artillery prior to the Civil War -- The reaction of the American military to European developments -- The development of the Ironclad, 1810-61 -- The crisis erupts -- The initial training effort -- Artillery and Ironclads at the beginning of the war -- Arming the infantry -- Unpreparedness : Bull Run and its aftermath -- The reality of the battlefield -- Life during the campaign -- The psychological basis of tactics -- Infantry doctrine -- Cavalry : the beginning -- Fighting in the West -- Irregular troops and guerrilla warfare -- River and coastal warfare -- Developments during the war -- Grand tactice during the Civil War -- American artillery doctrine -- Artillery in practice -- Artillery developments during the war -- Cavalry developments during the war -- Field fortifications -- Fighting in the wilderness -- The appearance of hasty entrenchments -- The advent of trench warfare -- The effectiveness of the rifle musket -- The bayonet : myth and utility -- Breechloaders and repeaters : the debate continues -- Tactical developments in European warfare, 1859-17 -- Conclusion.

Corporate Subject:

United States. Army -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.

United States. Army -- Drill and tactics -- History -- 19th century.

United States. Army -- Weapons systems -- History -- 19th century.

Confederate States of America. Army -- Weapons systems.

Confederate States of America. Army -- Drill and tactics.

Geographic Term:

United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Campaigns.

Holds:

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Stillwater Public Library	973.73 NOS	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Some historians argue that the Civil War, with its use of rifled muskets and artillery, was the first great "modern" war; others argue that it was a sideshow of amateur generals and citizen soldiers whose tactics yielded few innovations or lasting lessons. Acclaimed military historian Brent Nosworthy takes on this great controversy and, for the first time in any book, covers the methods of Civil War warfare in their entirety. This work presents the most thorough study of Civil War military practices ever written. With diagrams, photos, and maps throughout, Nosworthy weaves together the story of newly emerging weapons, the resulting changes in military doctrine, and the combatants' experiences as these innovations were applied to the battlefield. Detailing the four-year evolution of warfare from General Irvin McDowell's first tentative efforts to Lee's and Grant's final exertions at Petersburg, the author examines tactical variation due to regional differences and the distinctive circumstances of each campaign: the methods used in the eastern theater versus those in the west; the confused fighting in the wilderness; the "trench" warfare at Vicksburg; and the techniques used in other famous battles, like Gettysburg and Antietam.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

This massive study of Civil War weaponry, tactics and combat practices covers so much so well that it's indispensable; it's also so densely written that even series students of the conflict may find it slow going. The author, a distinguished independent scholar, has written similar studies of the 18th century's wars (The Anatomy of Victory) and Napoleonic ground combat (With Musket, Sword and Cannon), and here, as in those books, is politely revisionist. Civil War generals were not ignoramuses who mindlessly pitted mass infantry formations against rifled muskets, but men who had studied the revolution in both tactics and weaponry in more detail than is usually allowed in conventional Civil War historiography, of which the author has no high opinion. (It also neglects the prewar roots of the ironclad ship, which Nosworthy does not.) The need for a revolution had not been proven in 1861, and the outstanding merit of the book is the way it pulls into a single narrative how that revolution was completed-or in some cases not completed. Competent officers soon learned that the rifle was potent but not invincible, until it became a repeater (which it should have been in the Union Army by 1863) and the riflemen were snug behind field fortifications, supported by rifled artillery. But the smoothbore Napoleon (for Napoleon III, be it noted) saw out the war because of its greater mobility, and the much derided bayonet retained a psychological impact and the cavalry saber a physical one, both at close quarters. With its first-hand accounts, diagrams and all-in-all exhaustive coverage, this volume is an exceptional reference. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Library Journal Review

Nosworthy's multilayered study connects the experience of the major Civil War engagements from First Manassas to Petersburg with the fighting methods available to the troops involved. The author (With Musket, Sword, and Cannon: Battle Tactics of Napoleon and His Enemies) emphasizes the notable differences in the fighting characteristics between the armies of the North and South, between the federal and rebel forces in the eastern and western theaters, and among the services one was attached to-infantry, artillery, cavalry, and navy. The book provides the context needed to appreciate the overall place of the Civil War in the historical evolution of military thought and practice. On a secondary level, Nosworthy blends the story of newly emerging weapons (arms introduced much earlier in Europe) and the stubborn resistance by high command and soldier alike to such innovations as rifled muskets and cannon. The work's drier facts and figures are frequently enlivened by dramatic personal descriptions of what it was like to march from dawn to dusk or fight in a large-scale action. In a far-ranging conclusion, Nosworthy cautions all who investigate the Civil War against the pitfalls associated with professional chauvinism, overspecialization, and historicism. A fine read and an indispensable reference tool, this book is recommended for all military science and Civil War collections and all libraries.-John Carver Edwards, Univ. of Georgia Libs., Athens (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Introduction
Part I Prologue
Chapter 1 Is the Study of Fighting Methods Meaningful?	p. 3
Chapter 2 Advances in Small Arms, 1830-59	p. 22
Chapter 3 Developments in Tactical Doctrine, 1843-59	p. 40
Chapter 4 Artillery Prior to the Civil War	p. 61
Chapter 5 The Reaction of the American Military to European Developments	p. 77
Chapter 6 The Development of the Ironclad, 1810-61	p. 109
Part II The Beginning of the War
Chapter 7 The Crisis Erupts	p. 129
Chapter 8 The Initial Training Effort	p. 140
Chapter 9 Artillery and Ironclads at the Beginning of the War	p. 159
Chapter 10 Arming the Infantry	p. 177
Chapter 11 Unpreparedness: Bull Run and Its Aftermath	p. 195
Part III Infantry and Cavalry
Chapter 12 The Reality of the Battlefield	p. 211
Chapter 13 Life During the Campaign	p. 233
Chapter 14 The Psychological Basis of Tactics	p. 246
Chapter 15 Infantry Doctrine	p. 258
Chapter 16 Cavalry-The Beginning	p. 280
Part IV The West and Specialized Forms of Warfare
Chapter 17 Fighting in the West	p. 313
Chapter 18 Irregular Troops and Guerrilla Warfare	p. 323
Chapter 19 River and Coastal Warfare	p. 339
Chapter 20 Developments During the War	p. 369
Part V Artillery
Chapter 21 Grand Tactics During the Civil War	p. 391
Chapter 22 American Artillery Doctrine	p. 417
Chapter 23 Artillery in Practice	p. 438
Chapter 24 Artillery Developments During the War	p. 456
Chapter 25 Cavalry Developments During the War	p. 472
Chapter 26 Field Fortifications	p. 496
Part VI The Distinctiveness of Later Campaigns
Chapter 27 Fighting in the Wilderness	p. 521
Chapter 28 The Appearance of Hasty Entrenchments	p. 533
Chapter 29 The Advent of Trench Warfare	p. 549
Part VII Epilogue and Conclusion
Chapter 30 The Effectiveness of the Rifle Musket	p. 571
Chapter 31 The Bayonet: Myth and Utility	p. 594
Chapter 32 Breechloaders and Repeaters: The Debate Continues	p. 609
Chapter 33 Tactical Developments in European Warfare, 1859-71	p. 629
Chapter 34 Conclusion	p. 642
Endnotes	p. 661
Bibliography	p. 711
Acknowledgments	p. 729
Index	p. 731

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